Telemedicine Comes To Vision Care Consultants
The newest in eye care technology has arrived at Vision Care Consultants. We now have the latest in digital cameras that allow us to photograph both the outside and the inside of the eye. Our new Biomicroscope camera can take high-resolution digital photographs of the exterior or front part of the eye while our digital retinal camera can take high-resolution photos of the interior portion of the eye called the retina. This new technology can greatly aid our doctor’s ability to accurately diagnose and document many diseases. High-resolution photographs can show early abnormalities of the eye that may threaten normal vision. It also provides a baseline for comparison with patient’s previous and future visits, which aids in monitoring disease progression and response to therapy.
Other advantages of Digital Ocular Photography:
- Your images are available immediately, allowing for quick diagnosis and an appropriate management for your individual case.
- The images can be enhanced using sophisticated software to highlight any problem areas. This helps our doctors with diagnostic decisions.
- Our doctors now can show you images of your eye on high resolution computer monitors in the privacy of your exam room so you can make the most informed decision on the health of your eyes.
- Digital photographs can be placed in your permanent clinical record, allowing our doctors to closely monitor even the slightest progression of any abnormalities.
- Lastly, digital photographs can be sent electronically to your other physicians or, if appropriate, to a specialist anywhere in the country to allow for more timely diagnosis and the best treatment.
Telemedicine is the wave of the future, and as this technology continues to develop, know that Vision Care Consultants will stay ahead of the curve to deliver to you, our patient, all the benefits of the highest standards of eye care.
Glaucoma & Retinal Disease
We have searched to bring Vision Care Consultants the latest unique technologies to detect and treat eye diseases such as Glaucoma. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the United States. This year approximately 67 million people worldwide will suffer from this disease. About 2 million Americans have glaucoma, but about half are unaware that they have the disease. Others will be diagnosed only when it is too late to save vision. Currently, 800,000 Americans are legally blind from glaucoma.
Individuals at highest risk are those who are diabetic, near-sighted, have a history of eye injury or previous eye surgery, those with a family history of glaucoma, and for unknown reasons, African and Latino Americans.
The disease is indicated by the deterioration and destruction of the retinal nerve fiber layer, which now can be detected earliest with scanning laser imaging. This new technique is known as Nerve Fiber Analysis. It is made possible by a new device that measures the nerve fiber layer thickness, thereby assessing the level of optic nerve damage. Nerve Fiber Analysis is a non-invasive, completely painless procedure.
Nerve Fiber Analysis offers significant advantages over eye pressure measurements, which misses glaucoma in approximately half of the cases, and the visual field test is only effective at the later stages of glaucoma, at which time considerable loss of nerve fiber and vision may have occurred. These tests are approved for Medicare reimbursement and by many insurance plans. Call us for an appointment for a scanning laser image. The nerve fiber analyzer is just another investment Vision Care Consultants has made to care for your eyes.
A new test to promote healthy contact lens wear
The cornea is the transparent dome in the center of your visual system. This dome allows light to enter into the eye without aberration.
It is very important that the cornea remains transparent and maintains a certain thickness. If the cornea transparency is lost and it increases in thickness, the cornea will result in blurry vision.The first layer of cells on the cornea is called the epithelium and its main function is to protect the front of the cornea. These cells are very similar to skin cells; they constantly multiply from the inside, as the cells on the outside flake off. This maintains a layer of healthy cells at all times.
On the back of the cornea there is a single layer of cells called the endothelium. This layer acts as a water pump and a barrier. Its main function is to maintain the correct amount of fluid with nutrients in and out of the cornea. If this pumping function fails, the cornea will start to increase in thickness and the transparent cornea will become cloudy. It is possible for the cornea to become so cloudy or opaque that loss of vision could occur. Then it becomes necessary for the cornea to be replaced by means of a corneal transplant, a very serious operation.
What causes the endothelial cell layer function to fail? Unlike the cells in the front of the cornea, the cells in the back of the cornea do not reproduce themselves. When cells die, the number of cells that are left decreases. The remaining cells must increase in size in order to fill the gaps caused by cell loss. Cell loss are caused by diseases, trauma, or trauma caused by an eye operation. But scientists recently have discovered that contact lenses can cause changes in the endothelial layer from lack of oxygen.
Contact lenses reduce oxygen penetration into the eye because the material covers the cornea. The lack of oxygen causes chemical changes to occur at the bottom layers of the epithelium. These changes produce a chemical that travels through the cornea and attacks the endothelial cell layer. The chemical kills some of the cells and changes the shape and size of those that remain.The amount of damage varies from person to person depending on the type of lens, the length of time the person has worn the lenses and the individual’s own genetic makeup. The way for your eye doctor to determine the condition of those cells is to use a very special microscope to document the subtle changes that occur in your cornea. By looking at the picture of your cornea, our eye doctors can determine if your contact lenses need to provide the cornea more oxygen.
Ask your doctor at Vision Care Consultants the next time your in the office and find out if your contact lenses are causing changes in your eye that you may not even notice . If the test shows that the contact lens is stressing your eyes, we will change your contacts with one of the new healthy hybrid designs that will provide more oxygen to the eye. Vision Care Consultants is in the business of protecting your sight and maintaining healthy eyes.
Up Next: Dry Eye